Panamanian ship stranded on reef in central Vietnam sea

The Nemrut Bay vessel, spanning 180 meters and with 20 crew members on board, departed on June 21 to transport the steel to Vung Tau and was eventually stranded at Britto Reef, located about 10 nautical miles (18.52 km) to the southeast of La Gi estuary, according to the Binh Thuan Maritime Administration.

Besides the steel it was transporting, the vessel was also carrying over 850 tons of oil. Its crew members said there had been no signs of water entering the vessel’s chambers.

The ship’s owner hired professional divers to perform surveys to see where the vessel was stuck, and Tan Cang Offshore Services was hired to perform rescue operations.

On July 10, Tan Cang deployed specialized vessels to approach the Nemrut Bay to get it out of its predicament. In order to make the vessel float and get off the reef, it is expected that 3,800 tons of goods need to be removed, and so the goods would continue to be transported to Vung Tau. Rescue operations are expected to take 3-4 days.